Philly Farm & Food Fest 2013 & a Recipe for Honey Ginger Pork Chops

We enjoyed the Philly Farm and Food Fest so much last year that I really wanted to be more involved this year. So, I decided I would volunteer and get a sneak peek at the behind the scenes action of the event.

My day started at 5:30 AM with a quick breakfast and a commute to Center City. By 7:00 AM I found myself in the basement of Reading Terminal Market gathering supplies for the fest from the Fair Food Philly farm stand lockers. Once we got all of the cambros filled with hot water we brought them back to the convention center and set up the hand washing stations for the vendors.

I walked around and asked if anyone needed help setting up. A member of Pennypack Farm needed duct tape and I asked to borrow a roll for him from Wholesome Dairy, he thanked me with a big hug. I helped the Cape May Salt Oyster guys get the table cloths on their tables, handed out name tags, and answered vendor’s questions about the event. For the most part everyone was pretty well set, super friendly and just happy to be there.

As I walked through the convention hall I could feel the “calm” before the storm of what turned out to be 3,800 fest attendees. There was already a sense of community and excitement.

Just before 11:00 I was handed a Love Local shirt and assigned to help with wrist bands at the street entrance to the convention center. At noon I was “off the clock” and ready to go talk to the vendors some more and of course, buy some stuff!

I’ve been dairy free since Easter so it was REALLY hard to pass by all of the cheese vendors with samples of delicious cheeses. Instead, I sampled some legit Lancaster sauerkraut from Sweet Farm Sauerkraut, ghee from Simply Ghee, and gluten free donut holes from Basic Batters (gasp!). Everything was delicious!

I bought a scrubby bar of hand soap for the dirt-under-your-nails gardening I’ll be doing this summer plus a shampoo soap bar from Tandi’s Naturals. I also grabbed some crumb cake and muffins from Amaranth Gluten Free Bakery (not Paleo, but simple, yummy ingredients). I’ll be giving my Whole Foods their card and hoping to see some of their baked goods in the store soon.

Then I got really excited about visiting Old School Farm in Honesdale, PA for their Real Family Food Experience farm getaway event. We can’t make the first event but I am hoping to make one later this year.

And finally, I stopped by the Philly Cow Share booth and bought a pork sampler since we already have a 1/4 cow share on its. That brings me to the recipe! But before that, here’s a few pics of my haul from the fest…

Heat a medium sauce pan to medium heat (don’t let the pan get too hot or the pork chops will burn and not cook all the way through). Add coconut oil and melt. Add pork chops and brown on both sides (about 4-5 minutes each side).

While the pork chops are cooking saute the onions over medium high heat in butter with a little salt. When the onions are done, turn the heat down, add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat. Separate spinach/onion mixture onto two dinner plates/bowls.

Meanwhile, mix the coconut aminos, honey, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.

Once the pork chops are done place on top of sautéed spinach. Turn the heat up slightly and add the coconut aminos mixture. Bring to a quick simmer and reduce slightly, then distribute between the dinner plates.

Eat while it’s hot!

Enjoy!

And I hope to see you at the next Philly Farm and Food Fest. Get excited!

From the blog…

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